Fleet-footed guineafowl causing problems in South Weymouth

A fleet-footed game bird has been popping up in a South Weymouth neighborhood, roosting on porches and dashing into traffic, said Mike Parker, the town's animal control officer.

Christian Schiavone The Patriot Ledger @CSchiavo_Ledger

WEYMOUTH – You could call him the roadrunner.

A fleet-footed game bird has been popping up in a South Weymouth neighborhood, roosting on porches and dashing into traffic, said Mike Parker, the town’s animal control officer.

Parker said he’s tried to wrangle the elusive guineafowl twice in the past month after getting calls from curious residents who spotted the plump, gray-feathered bird poking around their yards in the area of Pleasant and Pine streets and the Mount Hope Cemetery. So far Parker hasn’t been able to get close enough to nab it with a net.

“The thing is fast,” Parker said. “He’s starting to cause a hazard with traffic. Eventually he’s probably going to end up getting hit by a car if we don’t get him out of there.”

Parker said he’s found a home for the bird on a farm if he can catch it.

Guineafowl are native to Africa and have been domesticated around the world. No one has a permit to keep one in Weymouth, Parker said. As a domesticated animal, there are no state regulations for capturing or relocating guineafowl.

The bird likely belonged to someone and either escaped or was dumped when the owner didn’t want it anymore, Parker said.

He’s not sure how long the bird has been in Weymouth. Parker said one resident said the bird has been coming around for about a year, but Parker said he doubted it could have survived that long.

“We know that people are feeding him,” Parker said. “He’s staying around here for a reason.”

Parker said he hopes to catch the bird within the week.

Christian Schiavone may be reached at cschiavone@ledger.com or follow him on Twitter @CSchiavo_Ledger.